Archbishop Pays Tribute to Danny Thomas at Funeral Mass

Danny Thomas, whose successful comedy career enabled him to establish a children’s hospital, was a “meteor of light and goodness,” the Roman Catholic archbishop of Los Angeles said at a funeral Mass Friday.

“Danny Thomas did not live out a career or profession, rather, he lived as one deeply committed to a joyful and vigorous mission,” Archbishop Roger Mahony remarked after the veteran comedian died earlier this week.

“In Danny’s presence, you always felt that somehow you were closer to God,” said Mahony at the Mass held at the Church of the Good Shepherd.

Thomas is survived by his wife, Rose Marie, son Tony, and daughters Marlo and Theresa.

The Emmy-award winning actor, who portrayed one of television’s favorite fathers in “Make Room for Daddy,” suffered a heart attack at his home Wednesday. He died 30 minutes later at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center. He was 79.

Few television comedians proved to have the popular staying power of Thomas, who played the brash, yet sincere, cigar-smoking Danny Williams on the “The Danny Thomas Show.” The half-hour sitcom, originally known as “Make Room for Daddy,” ran from 1953 to 1964, then in 1970 and 1971 under the title, “Make Room for Granddaddy.”

In recent weeks, Thomas appeared on the “Tonight Show” and had a guest shot on the TV sitcom “Empty Nest.” His son, Tony, is executive producer of that series.

Thomas had appeared in good health recently while touring to promote his autobiography, “Make Room for Danny.”

His death prompted an outpouring of testimonials to his humanitarian endeavors that rivaled his comic achievements in television, film and the comedy club circuit.

In April, 1985, Thomas was awarded the prestigious Congressional Gold Medal by then-President Ronald Reagan for his frequent fund raising and speeches on behalf of the St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital in Memphis, Tenn.

During the hospital’s 29th anniversary celebration just a few days before his death, Thomas noted a plaque inscription at the hospital entrance reading: “St. Jude Hospital. Danny Thomas, Founder.”

“That’s all the epitaph I want,” he said. His body was to be buried on the hospital grounds.

The son of Lebanese immigrants founded the hospital dedicated to children’s cancer and catastrophic disease research to pay back an outstanding debt. At 26, with no job and down to his last $7, Thomas knelt in a church and prayed to St. Jude, the patron saint of lost causes.

“If I’m not meant for show business, give me some sign and I’ll get out,” the struggling comedian whispered. “But if I am meant for show business, then I’m gonna stay and try to make it all the way--and if I do, I’ll build you that shrine.”

Outside the church Friday, actor Richard Crenna said Thomas’ death represented “a sad loss for our industry, and it’s a sad loss for me personally. It’s nice to see the tribute that’s being paid to him today.”

Radio personality Casey Kasem, who grew up in Thomas’ hometown of Detroit, recalled the inspiration that Thomas provided and the ethnic heritage they shared.

“Being Lebanese-American . . . when I saw Danny Thomas could go all the way and realize his dreams and aspirations, I realized there was a place for me, too,” Kasem said.

Among the mourners Friday were former Presidents Gerald R. Ford and Reagan and Los Angeles Mayor Tom Bradley.

Mahony told the crowd of several hundred people that Thomas could understand “the difficulty and the loneliness and the abandonment.

“Danny himself, as we know, in his early days, was trying to find this way,” Mahony said. “And he turned to that wonderful saint, who would be saint for him and intercessor throughout his entire life: St. Jude.”